Nightmares and swordsmen
by VotZ-soul sculptor
Summary: A meteor comes falling down to Jump City, and the Titans go to rescue, not knowing the consecuences of their acts or what the meteor trully contains. Nightmares alive take this fict as a young man shows up on the tower.
1. Meteor Crash

_Disclaimer :I don't own the Teen Titans, but I do own Jack Shoreshooter. So don't you use that character, unless of course you talk to me first._

The sky went scarlet as the monitor announced danger. In the docks, ripples foretold the upcoming menace.

Meteor alert- the screen showed.

"What is it this time?" Cyborg said as he joined the others at the main hall.

"Class D meteor" robin explained as he used the outside cameras to look at the sky. There was a huge fireball, around the size of a house, heading to the southern side of the city.

"How comes it the atmosphere security system (if there is one) didn't detect it?" Cyborg looked out the windows as he saw the water on the shore go wild.

"It wasn't detected until it got passed through the atmosphere" Raven said shortly.

"Quite weird isn't it?" Beast Boy said as he also took a look at the shore.

"Indeed, a meteor that big wouldn't pass through the atmosphere unseen" Starfire inquired.

"Maybe it isn't a meteor" Robin said. "Come on!"

When they got to the docks (don't ask me how they got there right! I don't know!) There were plenty of people around the edge of the water, now as red as the sky, and as wild as the fire ball on the sky. The predicted crash site will be near dock 17, which was by now, full of curious people and reporters.

"Come on people let us work!" Beast Boy complained as he made his way through the crowd.

"You'll be safer anywhere else, now go!" Cyborg yelled as everyone rushed out of the dock and left space for the Titans to work.

"Raven" Robin asked "can you stop it?"

"It is going far too fast, I can't stop it, maybe slow it down." She answered.

"Good. BB! You take Cyborg near the meteor, Star, go with them, and try to blow of that thing!" Robin commanded. Beast Boy turned into a pterodactyl, Cyborg got on it and both flew with Starfire and Raven towards the meteor.

"Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven chanted as the meteor was surrounded by a black psychic energy. Starfire and Cyborg began shooting at it with all they got, but merely scratching it and ripping apart parts from it.

"I can see a crack on the bottom!" Cyborg told Starfire, "Ill try to shoot it but be careful, if any big pieces of chunk fall down just blast them!" She nodded. Cyborg and Beast Boy went under the meteor; Cyborg prepared his sonic-wave canyon and aimed for a crack on the meteors bottom. One single shot, and the meteor fell down in pieces, making him fall of his friend, but being catch quickly, as Starfire shot the last few pieces of meteor down to dust.

At the dock, Robin helped Raven stand up as she was, exhausted and weak.

"Ill be okay" she said. "Just let me rest a bit"

Later that evening, back at the Titans tower, the Titans where changing their sweated, and burned clothes. Robin was in charge of dinner that night; he waited till everyone was there to make the announcement.

"Where's Raven?"

"At her room. She says she has a headache." Beast Boy informed.

"Oh well, well have to go out without her" Robin said. "The phone lines are still dead because of the meteors interference, well have to go out for a pizza tonight"

"Right on!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Make it vegetarian!"

"No way!" Cyborg complained as they made their way to the door "Im not eating that at a night out! We'll order a triple cheese pepperoni!"

Several minutes later, Raven got out of her room, still with her head buzzing like an army of wasps, but at least she could walk. She found the Tower empty, the shadows of the furniture and the Huge TV where projected on the floor. Behind the windows, an orange, red and purple sky mixed with the sea and the city. She went to the window, the shore was normal, small waves crashed towards the rock, and one of them was bringing something; a large, metal box, covered in seaweed, thrown into the towers base, its sides where burned and dented, and on top of it, a young man was holding as if nothing else mattered, choking for his life.


	2. The swordsman

_Disclaimer :I don't own the Teen Titans, but I do own Jack Shoreshooter. So don't you use that character, unless of course you talk to me first._

_To samuraiduck27: it's pleasant to know at least someone read and liked my story. Enjoy it mate!

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_

Although she had a bad feeling, (and it was not only the buzzing in her head) she went down the tower with her hood over her head, and looked at the young man on the metal box. He didn't seem to be dangerous. His black hair, covered in dreadlocks was washed by the salty water, as his black vest, heavy black pants and leather boots. He struggled, and fell from the box, slamming the ground.

Raven came near, he had a sea smell alright, but didn't seem like a sailor, he might have been around sixteen years old, and just looked like he had been hit and thrown into the sea. She came nearer, the young man was just lying on the ground, between choking, and too punished to move, but, there was something in him that made her doubt of getting near, on his belt, a long, smooth saber was hanging on its sheath.

She couldn't think very well either, this headache was driving her mad, but, the man didn't seem bad, she should help him… Before she could decide, the young man struggled again, and with much effort and spiting sea water, he got on his knees. He opened his brown eyes, watching carefully where he was now, he saw Raven, and simply got mad.

"You!" he said angrily, took his blade with his right hand and... Stopped, calmed down and looked again at Raven. He opened his arms, leaving his chest open. "Go on. Shoot!"

Raven didn't know what to do; the young man seemed to want to be killed. He just waited there, to be attacked, but she won't strike, because she had no reason, and didn't feel like using her powers again in the rest of the day. But that seemed not enough for the young man, he suddenly stood up and grabbed his blade again, Raven didn't had time enough to thin about it, she just shoot her psychic powers at him; but it didn't work, somehow, he "caught" them, with naked hands, turning a black orb of energy into a blue one, and shooting it back at Raven. The sphere took the shape of a giant claw and slammed Raven at the towers wall, leaving her trapped.

The blow was far too hard, she hit her head, which made her headache even worse, she couldn't use her power now, that was for sure.

"Well, well." The young man said in an arrogant voice. "What have we learned today? How about… DON'T MESS WITH ME OR YOULL GET KILLED?"

He came near to her, got his sword out and pointed it at her throat. Actually, she wasn't even aware of this, she was more concerned about her headache.

"Anyhow" the young man continued. "You might want to tell this to your friends in the underworld…"

He was blown apart before he could finish the phrase, Cyborg standed on the other side of the beach with his sonic-wave canyon ready to shot another wave.

"Tell us what?" Robin said sarcastically.

"Raven! Are you okay?" Starfire hurried to support Raven, though she didn't know how to get her out of the blue claw.

"I would be better if you kept silence" Raven said. "I still have that headache"

"You want to play? Well we'll play!" the young man attacked Robin ferociously, as he was the one nearest to him, although his careless aparience, he handled his sword masterfully, and didn't take long till Robin and him took their fight several feet away from the tower, on the rocky beach, Cyborg and the Beast Boy got near to help, but Robin gave a look of: "let me handle this" they didn't want to disturb, so they were just fallowing for support.

The swordsmen gave a slash, Robin dodged it and hit him in the chin with his boo staff, then, the young men gave him a pair of clear cuts in both legs, and let him on the sand with a strong side kick. Cyborg and a rhinoceros Beast Boy talked him together, then Cyborg shot his canyon, and sand blew everywhere. There was just left a whole in the sand.

"Sure you don't have that thing in "super-lethal" or something?" Beast Boy inquired turning back to normal.

"Where the hell did he go?" Cyborg asked, looking around to trace him.

As both of them turned around the young man jumped out of the whole and gave them both a kick on the back, then gave the Beast Boy a hit with his swords handle on the back of his forehead, as for Cyborg, he opened his back and twisted a pair of cables, causing him to shut down.

"That was quite easy" he said to himself as he headed back to where the metal box, Starfire and Raven. When he got there, Starfire was still trying to get Raven out of the blue claw without success.

"Oh you!" Starfire said when she saw him coming. "How dare you do this!"

"Hey hey! Step aside! I need to end the work!" he said in a bothered tone.

"I won't let you!" Starfire said as she prepared her eyebeams and energy in her hands. She shot one beam out of her hands to the swordsmen's chest.

"Whoa! That's hot!" the young man said as he avoided it. Then he ran behind the metal box.

"You wont hide" Starfire said as she shot once again, this time doing a hole on the metal box and sending it flying into the ocean.

"Oh come on!" the young man said sadly. "Now this I can't stand it!"

He fell over Strfire and with a kick send her to the ground; she stayed there feeling the pain in her chest as he got near to the still trapped Raven.

"As I said. Well meet again…"

"No wait!" Starfire screamed.

"Don't bug me up girl! I will do what I…" he stopped in panic, he watched fearfully his right hand, holding his sabers point on Ravens throat, he was bleeding, the veins in his wrist had opened somehow, and he knew what was next. "Oh no… not now…."

As if it was a chain reaction, the veins of his arm all opened, rushing towards his shoulder, then on his chest, his legs, his back, finally, his face has filled in scars, and he fell on the sand, on a puddle of blood.

The blue claw disappeared; Raven fell on the blood puddle next to the young swordsman, and fainted by her headache.


	3. The Nightmare Hunters

_Disclaimer :I don't own the Teen Titans, but I do own Jack Shoreshooter. So don't you use that character, unless of course you talk to me first.

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_

_To Cuiasodo: Actually, I'm a native Spanish speaker, so my English grammar it's not what you can call perfect either. I do what I can with it. About describing, I wrote this first two chapters too fast, expect a bit more body on the next, although I think firmly, that a extended description distract you from the action.

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_

"We shouldn't have let him come in" Cyborg complained later that night while everyone sat at the living room to check out on their wounds. "He attacked us without reason! That doesn't make much sense for someone who needed our help."

"Yeah" Robin agreed. "But it wasn't against us; he was going for Raven…" Everybody stared at her, as she laid down on one of the sofa to rest her head.

"I don't know him." She said shortly. "He just took a look at me and went wild. If you ask me, he's just nuts."

"I don't think he is a mad man, perhaps he is only…" Starfire stopped talking as the alarm on the medical room warned about hostile nature. She, Robin and the Beast Boy took a look on the monitor. The young man was kept on the small medical room, covered in bandages and tied up to the steel table, yet still struggling to get out. "…only lost."

"I'll go check it out" Robin said as he went near the ladder leading down tower. "Keep an eye on the monitor in case I need help."

"We will cover your back." Cyborg said. Robin disappeared as he went downstairs.

As he got nearer to the medical rooms floor, the more shouting and noise was heard. By when he was one floor apart from then room where the young man was kept, the sound of his screams where so hard he couldn't hear his own footsteps.

"Let me go!" he shouted. "If I cant get out of here soon Ill blow your heads off! Come and get me if you're so brave! What is it! You afraid after the beating I gave you on the beach!"

"That hurt" Robin said as he entered the (by now almost destroyed) medical room. "But not that much."

The only part of the young man's body that was not tied to the table, was his left foot, which he managed let free by slipping his foot out of his untied shoo. And just with a free foot, he had grabbed a chair, knocked down the small robotic guard, and destroyed half of the room's medical equipment.

"You shouldn't let chairs in a room with me." The young man joked. "I like smashing them on the walls."

"I noticed. May I sit?" The young man gave Robin an aggressive look, then lowered the chair on his ankle and put it on the floor. Robin sat down on the folded steel chair, and looked at the young man sharply. "Why did you attack us?"

"You must be joking!" the young man laughed. "Fist you blow me off and then you say I attack you?"

"You where the one who attacked raven on the beach while she tried to help you!" Robin stood up in anger.

"She was trying to help me?" the young man said mocking. "That Virzen friend of yours wanted to rip my head off!"

"Vir…what?"

"Oh! And now you're going to tell me you don't know anything about your beauty caring friend do you? Well know this; you don't get Jack Shoreshooter down so easy. Eh?"

"Well, Jack, or whatever is your name, you should know _this_;Raven it's not your enemy, neither of us is. Unless you're a criminal of course…"

"So you're like the local "Super Hero Team"?" Jack said calmly.

"Yeah" Jack though of it for a moment, then said:

"Take me see her."

When Robin and him came upstairs, the Titans where waiting for them rather anxiously, with their weapons on lock for Jack…

"Hey, calm down" Jack said to Cyborg. "I won't kick your ass until later, maybe…"

Robin made a gesture, Cyborg lowered his sonic wave-canyon, and Starfire also disappeared her energy rays. Jack saw through the room, apart from Cyborg and Starfire in front of him, he couldn't see anyone else, until…

"Yo, careful!" BB had dived from the ceiling in a bat shape, scratching Jack.

"Take this funny hair!" he yelled anxiously.

Jack grabbed one of his wings and slammed him into the wall. Knocking BB out.

"He started." He apologized to Robin.

"Don't worry" Robin said. Jack continued looking the room with his eyes, then, he saw her, lying down on the sofa.

"You" he said shortly. "Come near."

Raven merely heard what Jack ordered between two cushions she held over her head to try to ignore her headache, but she raised her hood and stood up. Jack was looking her with a gaze that mixed hate and expectation, and still, he just waited for her to come near.

"What do you want?" she said standing still.

"Come near" Jack repeated. She walked slowly, still stunned by the fight; used the sofa to help her keep on foot, yet tumbled down; Starfire helped her stand up and helped her to walk until she was in front of Jack.

Jack looked at her sharply.

"Let's see" he said. Raven felt her headache go worse, she lowered her head, and Jack passed his hand under her hood and trough her hair and before she could react he had lifted her hood.

All the other Titans stood shocked; waiting for what they knew was going to happen, as Raven gave a death glare to Jack and went really angry. Jack just kept playing with her purple hair.

"Nah." Jack said. "You're definitely prettier than those Virzen bastards…"

"How dare you!" She said really pissed off. "Azerath, Metrion…Ouch!"

"A headache eh?" Jack laughed. "Let me handle it" Once again, he held his hands over her head, this time in a circular shape; he closed his eyes and focused… A black smoke came out of Ravens head, through the circle and vanished in the air. Suddenly the headache had gone; Raven raised her look and look into Jacks eyes, almost smiling.

"Thanks." Raven said.

"Oh, don't worr…" A black wave of black energy slammed Jack to the wall behind him before he could finish.

"You owed me that one" Raven said. Then she hit him in the face. "And that was for touching my hair"

"Well, I suppose I deserved it…" Jack admitted

"Well, you two had your little chat already, now we want answers" Cyborg demanded.

"Yeah, like, who are you?" BB said smelling his still strong fried fish smell.

"You can call me Jack Shoreshooter, I'm a sailor, mercenary who it's been hunted since three weeks ago by some creatures called Virzen."

"Why?" Starfire said timidly.

"Well lets just say that…" a strong swirling sound came from outside the tower, on the living room window two large, peacock like spaceships floated lighting the room with their blinding flashlights pointing at Jack and the Titans. "Ask them yourself."

"Earthlings, we must warn you, you keep a dangerous Nightmare inside of this building, we ask you to cooperate by handing him to us, he is cruel and really dangerous, please cooperate." The voice inside the ship was a male clear loud voice.

The Titans looked at jack suspiciously. He seemed to be a criminal after all.

"That part of the "mercenary" sounds like trouble to me." Cyborg said.

"Look, I can explain it, let's go somewhere they can see us." Jack said quickly.

"The roof, fallow me" Robin said as everyone went upstairs to the roof, where the Virzen ships had already landed.

Off the three ships, came three figures, wearing white long cloaks. As they step on the ground they took the cloaks off their faces, they where, a male handsome man, and two beautiful females, with light blue skin, smooth multicolor eyes and long pointy ears. The male figure stepped forward and looked at Jack despise fully.

"Uh? Did Jack say Raven was prettier than these chicks?" BB said as he stared at the two beautiful Virzen pilots "because well from my point of view…"

"What are you suggesting?" Raven muttered angrily. BB just bit his tongue and fell quiet.

"Shoreshooter" The male Virzen muttered.

"Bastards!" Jack shouted. "What have you done to my people!"

"They might be all killed by now Nightmare" the male figure said. "But we cannot know that because you destroyed our ship!"

"Hey! It wasn't me, these kids blew us!" Jack complained as he pointed Starfire and Cyborg.

"What the…?" Cyborg complained.

"We fell off this morning, our ships steel got all stuck up and you blow it apart. Remember?"

"Oh don't worry; I stole that ship anyway…"

"From our headquarters Nightmare!" one of the female figures argued.

"Enough!" The male Virzen shouted. "Jack Shoreshooter, King of Nightmares, you have broken our most important rule and must pay with your life! Now surrender to us!"

"What crimes has he committed?" Robin asked the Virzen.

"Nothing your law can understand" The male Virzen continued. "We, the Virzen, are keepers of everything that's beautiful in this galaxy. We protect everything that's worth it and destroy the ugly dross from every world. When we passed by Mr. Shoreshooters world, we didn't notice anything wrong, until, we saw them, Nightmares, horrible beasts, ferocious, bloody beings that must be eradicated at all cost!"

"That's nonsense!" Jack complained loudly. "You kill beings not just because they are bad, but because of the appearance! Maybe Nightmares are ferocious, but they do not have a choice!"

An uncomfortable silence fell when Jack suddenly stopped talking, he took a look at the Titans, waiting for him to continue, and the Virzen, waiting to see how he meant to explain them the situation.

"I'm a Nightmare" he said. "Nightmare I was born, and as Nightmare I live, I cannot change it, nor try to hide it. But that's no reason, to call someone a freak, monster, atrocity or condemn him to death because of it!" he turned back at the Titans, and looked, quite shocked in their eyes how some of them understood what he meant.

"We don't care if you can change it or not, you're an atrocity, and must be exterminated for good. And if your not goanna let us work, well have to fight!" The male Virzen ran from over the other side of the roof, and got from under his cloak what seemed like a laser shotgun. He stood a few feet from them waiting for them, to make their move.

"So be it!" Jack said, and then grabbed the air as he looked for his saber. "My saber! Where is it!"

"Uh… we left it downstairs." BB said shamefully.

"Damn! Oh well, there's no time for that now" Jack went on battle pose. Then he gave a bitter look to the Titans. "If you're going to fight me too I don't respond for my actions, although you helped me…"

"I will help you" Raven said shortly. "I don't like freak haters…"

"If there going to bug you off for being weird they're goanna have to deal with us weirdoes." BB said as he and Cyborg came to join battle.

"Titans Go!" Robin shouted, as he and Starfire joined the others, everyone divided in three pairs and attacked each of the Virzen.

BB and Starfire took on the left Virzen female pilot.

"I don't want to hurt you" BB said in a "charming" tone "so why don't we settle this down there with…"

The Virzen got a laser shotgun like her partners out of her cloak and shot at BB, he managed to avoid by inches. Starfire shot two energy rays from her hands to the Virzens chest.

"They don't seem to want to talk Beast Boy" she said. "We will have to stop them by force." She shot again, this time the Virzen dodged it and shot back at BB, that transformed into a gorilla was charging against her.

Meanwhile, at the other side of the Titans pool, Raven and Cyborg had an easier time fighting.

"Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven lifted the Virzen pilot's cloak with her powers, but the pilot managed to slip out of it and fall to the floor, where Cyborg waited her with his canyon ready to fire.

"Give up, I don't want to shoot." He said calmly, the Virzen let her rifle down on the floor and held her hands up ion sign of rendition.

Virzen are not quite good warriors, but the male Virzen pilot was a retired sharpshooter, and he used his shotgun with an amazing ability, and in the pair of minutes Robin, Jack and him had been fighting he had shot them quite a lot of times, and they hadn't even got close to him. After hitting Jack in the chest with a stunning-blast, he rolled in the floor and waited kneeled for Robin or him to move.

"Any ideas how to beat him?" Robin said, he was also covered in scratches made by the shotgun.

"Not much… well, perhaps." Jack said as he smiled in a wicked way. "Maybe we should give him Nightmares, shouldn't we?"

Robin looked at him without anything to say. Jack stood on position to attack, but remained immobile, as if he was preparing for something… The Virzen looked at what he was doing and entered in panic, grabbed his shotgun and blew a lethal charge of plasma at Jack, he just moved his left hand, ads though as he was slashing the air, and something, invisible, blocked and turned the shot out of sight. Jack continued on his pose, feet firmly on the ground, one fist near his hip, and the other one stretched out towards the Virzen, which was adjusting his shotgun frenetically, expecting for something to happen before he was prepared.

Robin stood at Jacks side just looking at the scene; he was waiting for something to happen too. Jack held his open palm towards the paranoiac Virzen, as his shotgun charged up slowly. He closed his hand, as though he was catching something, and the Virzen was suddenly trapped, it was as if Jack had grabbed him with an enormous hand, he lifted him up. With his other hand he "took off" the Virzens shotgun. Robin saw how Jack just seemed to use an invisible doll to manipulate the Virzen.

"Think you can jump that high?" Jack asked, the Virzen floated about nine feet high in the air; Robin took some impulse and jumped as high as he could, made a spin and hit the Virzen with a strong kick, the man fell to the ground feeling painfully how some of his bones collapsed. "Now, that's high mate..."

"How do you do that?" Robin asked. Jack just smiled in a wicked way, without watching him.

"It is an extension of my body…" he said, as he saw Robin didn't understand this he explained. "I've got two selves, a human one, and a Nightmare one. What I do…"

He reached his hand out and "pressed" the Virzen towards the ground with anger.

"…What I do its reach my Nightmare un-corporeal self and use it as an invisible weapon. It's hard to understand but..."

"It's great!" Robin exclaimed.

"Yeah… it's good you like it… I appreciate you don't treat me like a monster…" He had a strange look, between melancholy, and at the same time, hate for the Virzen he was watching try to escape from his invisible claw.

"Don't worry, most of us… well, you see the Beast Boy, Raven, even Cyborg… people don't look at them normally… that's why I think…" Robin stopped as the Virzen Starfire and Beast Boy where fighting crashed on her ship and it fell from the roof. Star flew down and rescued her as Raven picked up the falling ship. "They understand you…"

"That's why I never became a superhero…"Jack laughed as he got near the Virzen and grabbed the shotgun that was only a few meters from him. "…you have to say long heroic speeches and you can't do this…"

He pointed the shotgun at the Virzens forehead, still having him trapped by his claw. Still, the Virzen didn't show any fear for dying, he closed his big multicolor eyes and prepared to die when… the shotgun has covered in a black veil and turned apart before it shoot. Raven came along with the other titans using her powers to grab the shotgun out of Jacks hands.

"What are you doing? They are my prey! You can't steal my write to exterminate my enemies!" Jack complained.

"You have no right to kill them either, perhaps their law is wrong, but that doesn't give you the right to take their lives!" Starfire said bravely.

"It's not our stile Jack, and as long as you're on our tower, you fallow our rules…" Robin said.

"Fine" Jack said letting the Virzen free from his claw. "But you better make sure they are well locked!"

"Earthling, I must warn you of your mistake. You don't know what you're getting yourself into…" the Virzen warned them as they where being taken into a jail car, tied up and with their ships under custody. "… I will laugh in jail when the Nightmares are released in this town."

"No Nightmares will be relesed in this town as long as I am here" Jack said. The prison guards closed the door and drove away. "Well, I guess Ill be going too, I need to find a place to stay at this city. _Since you blew the metal box which was the remaining of my ship. _Well, thanks Titans, see you later!"

"Wait" Raven said silently but clearly. Jack stopped and turned around.

"Jack, I don't know if I can trust you…" Robin said seriously. Then smiled and shook hands with him. "But I know I talk for everyone when I say you are welcome to stay at the T Tower as long as you need."

Jack nodded gratefully.

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_Note: Jack Shoreshooter it's my character, if you want to use him on a fict or whatever please contact me first, be descent and respect author rights. Wait for updates soon. R&R, R&R, R&R…_


	4. Trying to help at home

_Disclaimer :I don't own the Teen Titans, but I do own Jack Shoreshooter. So don't you use that character, unless of course you talk to me first.

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His name was Jack, he was between 16 and 17 years old, he had a filthy appearance, and just wanted to get away of trouble. The Titans couldn't trust him though, they had let him live at the tower, but gave him a room near the basement, a big room which used to be for storage. Jack didn't complain about that, but did complain about having to cook on Sunday and clean on Wednesday, he said he had no time.

At dawn, Jack went up to the towers roof, got pass the pool and stood on the edge to see the sun rise. It wasn't that he was used to waking up early; it was just that he couldn't let himself sleep.

"At least one silent night" he said to himself. "At least that I can give them"

The sea turned golden as the shining orb lifted over the horizon and lit the city. A strong wind moved his hair and filled his lungs. It was always comfortable to wake up at dawn in another planet, or at least watching a new dawn… The wind brought the sea's smell, Jack enjoyed every second of it; after some weeks on a cramped spaceship feeling the ocean, any ocean, made him calm. He took off his black vest and jumped off the tower, off to the shore, in a free fall for some morning excitement. When he was twelve feet away from the bottom he used the tower, and his Nightmare-self to jump off, and shoot himself into the waves.

"Damn it. I should have seen the calendar before picking Sundays… how was I supposed to know it was the next day?" he complained while swimming into deeper waters. "Well, I suppose it is fine for a rent… I wonder if they would give me a real room if I help them out at the city without charge... Well, manage that later…"

He dived after a big fish he saw splash nearby. The Titans wouldn't wake up until a few hours, which gave him some free time for what he did best.

Beast Boy was in middle of one of those fame and fortune dreams when suddenly he smelled something…

"Why does my tofu smell like fish?" He asked Robin, his waiter in the dream.

"I can assure you sir" Robin said politely. "That it isn't your tofu, but a real fish being cooked in the towers kitchen."

"What are you insinuating?" BB said.

"Perhaps you should wake up and find out for yourself…" Robin snapped his fingers and BB woke up in his messy room, a soft fish smell came from outside, and incredibly it could be smelled between sweated socks and loads of rotten food.

He got out of his room, no one was awake yet. He walked through the corridor, only lit by the soft dawn's light, it seemed creepy and each shadow like an endless hole. The smell got stronger as he went to the living room, when he got there he only found a white smoke curtain and a humid smell of fish and fruit everywhere. He turned into a large bird and flapped the smoke to clear the room. Behind the breakfast table, he saw Jack, wet and humid from head to toes, with a pile of big fishes on his side and a frying pan on his hand. He was cooking a yellow fish among with some fruit. He looked back and saw BB sharply, got out his saber and went in battle pose; BB turned back to himself and went on battle pose too. Jack smiled in a mocking way.

"I scared you…" he said simply, storing away his saber and getting back to work.

"You shouldn't do that!" BB said getting nearer. "First you fill the tower with that nasty smell, and then you go like if you where going to attack me!"

"Nasty smell!" Jack said angrily. "This it's a delicatessen from my lands! Well, actually the seas… Anyway! You should be greetfull to me for…"

"What's that smell?" Cyborg said, exited, coming from the corridor. He saw what Jack was cooking and ran near happily. "Is it fish Caribbean fish?"

"Don't know, at the boat we used to call it Sweet Lady Sea. But I suppose both are alike…" Jack said proudly.

"It smells good!" Cyborg exclaimed. He grabbed the fish Jack had just cooked. "Can I have it?"

"Serve yourself" Jack said. BB looked sadly at Cyborg taking the fish to the table.

"I have been a fish Cy!" he complained. "Don't you feel guilty about it?"

"I usually don't like fish but… for this time I'll make an exception!" He gave the fish a big pair of bites ignoring BB's complains about animal rights and that kind off stuff he always did.

Two more figures came out of the corridor. Starfire and Robin sneaked out between the smoke looking for the others.

"What's with the noise guys?" Robin said. "It is half past six! Some people are trying to sleep!"

"Sorry!" Jack apologized. "I didn't mean to wake you up but cooking this bay fishes isn't easy, they don't get fried easily! And these fruits just have a strong smell mate!"

"You're cooking fish and…fruits?" Robin said rather sickly. Starfire on the other hand looked at what Cyborg was eating with interest.

"Caribbean dish!" Cyborg said happily still eating. "You should try it Rob!"

"Sounds good!" Starfire said coming near the kitchen. Hopping happily as always. She grabbed a dish and handed it to Jack. "May I have some?"

"There you go." Jack served her a plated fish with some pineapple and stuff and she went to sit next to Cyborg and a frustrated Beast Boy. "Anyone else?"

"I'll pass" Robin said, coming near the kitchen and getting out of the shelves some eggs and bacon for himself. "I don't think Raven is having fish either you know…"

"You guessed right" Raven came downstairs to the kitchen as she wiped out the smoke with telepathy. "Ill have some tea, that smell made my headache come back."

"You have tea? I would like some; I didn't sleep at all last night." Jack told Raven when she passed behind him and checked the shelves for some teabags and a teapot.

Finally Jack came to the table with a dish of about ten fishes, fried, and covered in a sweet sauce. He laid the dish heavily on the table, got a knife and a fork and began eating the fishes ferociously. Everyone looked at him eat rather disgustingly, when he noticed this he gave them an ashamed look, swallowed the fish he had in his mouth and recovered posture.

"Ahem, Sorry." He apologized.

"Don't worry, Beast Boy has worse manners" Raven said shortly, having a gulp of her tea. Beast Boy looked at her angrily.

"You think I have bad manners? Well you should see Star!" he complained. Everyone looked at Starfire, eating the whole fish Jack had given her, swallowing it with bones and everything.

"You shouldn't…" Robin said this too late, Star had swallowed the fish, and after a little choking she managed to pass it through her throat. "…forget it."

"Robin, I was wondering." Jack said. "You told me I could stay if I helped with the cleaning and cooking right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well if you can call that cooking." BB complained still angry.

"Well I was thinking that, if I helped you guys at the city perhaps you could give me a better room?" When Jack said this everyone looked at Robin. He was the one that gave Jack the basement room, because he could be dangerous, but he hadn't told the others.

"Hey how about the room at…" BB covered Cyborg mouth to shut him up.

"We don't know who he really is Cy" he whispered. "Getting him at the basement will make him easier to watch."

"I heard you." Jack said, looking serious. Robin sighted.

"Please understand" he said. "We cannot trust everybody we meet"

Jack still had his serious gaze. He looked really pissed off. He took a breath and drew a melancholic smile.

"Don't worry." He said. "I myself had had some bad mates aboard of my ship. Okay how about this: I stay here till you trust me, and then, you give me a room with a view… How about it?"

"Deal" Robin said happily. "Let me try that."

He was about to take one of Jack's fish when… ALERT, ALERT. The huge screen monitor went red, and then showed some scenes of Dr Light, blasting jewelry alongside with Gizmo, powering him up.

"Titans, go!" Robin said, everyone got up the table and ran to the exit when Jack interrupted.

"Should I go?"

"Don't worry" Robin said quickly fallowing the others. "Stay at home and clean we'll take care of this!"

When they where all gone Jack turned around and looked at the mess they had all left. Fish bones, fruit sauce, eggs and tea all over the table and the floor, thrown apart in the rush to go to the rescue. Jack couldn't understand that commitment; he was used to do what he was paid for, not what he "should" do.

This is goanna take some work to clean- he thought. "Oh well, spooksters!"

Ghastly shadows emerged out of the floor, the walls, the ceiling and even from midair. The "spooksters" as Jack called them, where human shaped shadows that helped him in certain tasks, like cleaning, they were not strong, but very handy. The spooksters automatically began cleaning the stove, the table, sweeping the floor with ghastly shadow brooms and picking up all the Titans mess. Meanwhile Jack went to look at the Tower, last night he had explored the basement, the docks and the beach, but he was more interested, in the rooms.

He went through the corridor everyone had taken that morning for breakfast; he didn't know even where to begin to look for. And it would have been much more difficult if the doors didn't have each ones name on it. The first one to be found, BB's. Jack entered carefully, ignoring the hideous smell and skipping the rubbish thrown all through the floor. One of the spooksters showed his head over the doors frame, quite disgusted to have to clean the room.

"Don't worry" Jack told it. "We have to clean up the tower, not their rooms." He looked at something near of BB's bed. A photograph of him, with a slim, blond girl. Jack held it and examined it, on the girl's belt there was a yellow transistor just like the one Robin used. "Whatever" he said leaving the frame where he had found it. "Lets go."

Satisfied, the spookster fallowed his master out of the room and into the next one. At the corners turn, was Cyborg's. Jack was especially curious about this one, in his world, ciborgs where merely treated as machines; it was looked as an illness or incapacity. But when he entered Cy's room, he noticed it looked almost like a normal teenager room; apart from the Hi-Tec equipment and his weird bed, the posters, pictures and sports gear showed Cyborg's human side. The spookster was looking curiously at Cyborg baseball bat.

"Don't touch anything" Jack told it. "We don't want them to know we where here right?"

The spookster nodded, they didn't talk, they couldn't, heir ghastly bodies where just mere holders of obedient minds, and didn't have to talk. Out of Cy's room they went, and fallowed the corridor till the next door stopped them. "Starfire" it was written on the door, Jack was almost sure of what he would find. The door opened and both him and the spookster entered Starfires cozy, fuzzy, pink-purple colored room.

This kind of stuff makes me sick- Jack thought looking at some pictures and posters on the wall. –Don't like this style, far too… pink…-

The spookster didn't like it either, they where used to move in the shadows, and light colors made them uncomftarble, after a quick look to the rest of the room they hurried to the next room.

Few feet away a door cached Jacks attention. "Raven" said on the door, and Jack felt in his Nightmare body a weird feeling of repulsion. She didn't like intruders on her room, Jack could feel that, but that just made it more interesting for him. Opening the door silently, he saw the dark room, the spookster slipped in and turned on the light, Jack dared the repulsion feeling going afoot. He felt really comfortable here; he stared at the collection of dark books on the bookshelf and the wooden globe on the right side of the room.

"Well, she's got some stile." He told the spookster. The spookster itself was inspecting the room maliciously, it looked at the round mirror on a table, it was weird, little decorated, but still it felt as it had something else… Jack just had to look at it to know what it was; he ran next to the spookster and took it gently. "Mort made one of these once. Remember? I didn't know they made them here too. Well, we should leave it here; we don't want a trip to her mind without permission eh?"

He left the mirror where he found it and went to look for the last room. Robin's room was at the other side of the tower; the corridor made a round trip along the rooms' floor and ended up in the living room. When Jack and the spookster opened the door they where surprised to find a darker room than Raven's. Robin's room just had a single light, over a table, with all kinds of artifacts and newspaper articles, the same that where all over the walls and even some scattered through the floor.

This guy is obsessed on his job- Jack though, looking at a replica of Slade's mask Robin had hanging on the wall. –Maybe I should show him how to… nah… too difficult. Besides it's not my business…"

On his way back to the hall Jack saw another door, the name on it however was hidden under a piece of metal. He tried to open the door, it was locked, then, he made a gesture to the spookster, it slipped under the door like smoke and seconds later came back, the door opened.

Inside, the desertic decoration was covered in dust, no one had entered it for some time. Jack could feel emptiness in it, a nostalgic feeling filled him and the spookster stepped back. Jack however managed to calm himself. "I'm okay." He said. "I can manage it." The spookster came near and they both inspected the room. "So there was a sixth Titan, guessed she had other things to do, other than keep an eye on this city. Cant blame her."

Jack saw a frame on a desk, with another photograph, this time, they where all the Titans, and once again, the slim, blond girl. Jack ordered the spookster to close the room when he left and walked away. The passed through the door frame.

With nothing left to find Jack went back to the living room, the spooksters had already finished the cleaning and even some of them had went down to Jacks basement room to clean up. One of them came near Jack, opened his palms and showed him what he had found.

"Hey... we could use that… I think…"

Meanwhile, the Titans had been looking all over the city for Dr. Light and Gizmo, which had disappeared before they had got to the crimes scene. Starfire was patrolling from the air, looking on the streets below for any sign of them.

"Have you seen them Star?" Robin told her by the intercommunicator.

"Not yet" She said. "Any news Beast Boy?"

"Nothing" his voice sounded on the communicator. "How do we know they went this way?"

"We don't" Robin said. "We're just waiting for them to come out."

"I saw them!" Cyborg exclaimed. "They're heading west through main and second. I think they're heading the old docks!"

The Titans met on the old docks, that where no longer used because of the new, better placed docks, and yet, some old fashioned boats where docked for exhibition or storage. Cyborg waited for them near an old destroyed building, in which the two villains had hidden. When the rest of them got there, Robin made up a quick infiltration strategy. Cyborg and Raven would wait in front of the buildings only exits, the garage and the front door, Starfire and BB would corner the windows as Robin got inside to let the two villains out out. Everyone took their positions; Robin got near a broken window and got in with an athletic jump. There was no sign of them however. Robin saw a movement, someone running towards a door, he shot one of his birderangs at it, but it just got stuck on the door when the fugitive crossed it. Then, an engine sound, he knocked off the door but just saw how Dr. Light and Gizmo escaped in an old dusty car.

"Cant this thing go any faster!" Gizmo complained as they broke the garage door, knocked down Cyborg, and drove away through the street. "They're catching up on us!"

Raven, Beast Boy and Sarfire were coming after them, Dr Light turned around and shot a light beam at Starfire, which managed to dodge it, meanwhile Gizmo was using his backpack computer to drive the old car. Raven used her telepathy to lift up the car, Gizmo and Dr. Light came out just in time. Dr. Light stayed on the street fighting the Titans, while Gizmo ran to a nearby truck, hopped on and connected himself to it in order to drive. He drove like a lunatic away from battle, being chased by a hawk BB. The truck seemed out of control as it went knocking everything it could at the sides of the street. A young man stood out of the store he had just visited, the salesman said he couldn't hear him with all the noise outside, so he went to check out what made the noise. He saw the large truck heading his way, he stood in the middle of the street, right where the truck could hit him, stepped firmly on the ground, stretched his hands out towards the truck, like trying to stop it, and the vehicle crashed into a hard wall of nothingness. Gizmo slammed out of the trucks cabin and landed near Jacks feet, BB dived and transformed into a gorilla in order to trap him and take off his backpack.

"Sorry to interrupt" Jack said. "I know he is your prey, but I couldn't hear myself with all the noise.

Raven and Starfire came flying, quite surprised seeing how the truck's cabin was after the collision, and BB holding Gizmo firmly although he struggled to get out. Jack went inside the store again, perhaps this time he would get a descent price for that bed…

Back with Dr Light, Robin and Cy weren't having many problems, Dr Light didn't have his extra power without Gizmo, and so his energy rays and accuracy weren't so good either, Cy lifted Robin up over their foe; Robin fell over him with a powerful kick on the face turning the power maniac's lights out.

Jack got out of the store furious.

That's no price for mere wood! - he though –Maybe I can get some cheaper on the docks…- He came near where the Titans were handing both of the villains to the police. Starfire was the first to notice him, and hasted near him.

"Thank for your work earlier" She said greet fully. "We wouldn't have couth Gizmo if you didn't…"

"Course you would." Jack said with indifference. "That's why the town pays you right? By the way, I wont charge this one because it was also troubling me, but don't expect any more free help from me."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a mercenary, remember? I only work for money, and if you don't pay, well, I don't work then." He didn't seem to even pay attention to Starfire's worried expression; he was looking at an old crashed wooden boat on the docks. "Who's the owner of that thing?" He asked Robin.

"It crashed there some weeks ago, when we had a battle with Cinderblock over here, the owner said it was just rubbish, but the city hasn't picked it up" Robin said, in a serious tone. "Why do you ask?"

"Think you can help me with something?"

The Titans finally rested at almost seven o'clock, when they finished helping Jack to decorate his basement room with the crashed boats wood and junk. Jack told them he would make some free works if they helped him out with it, besides; cleaning up the tower had its merit.

"I still don't get it…" Cy said nailing a wood plank on the wall. "How did you clean the whole tower in…? Two hours?"

"I had some help." Jack answered also working on the same wall.

"What?" BB mocked "Did you contract a cleaning…" He stopped creepily when a ghastly hand touched hiss shoulder, and a shadowy spookster "smiled" at him. BB freeze, his body had paralyzed with the spooksters cool touch, and when he finally could move, he shouted and ran behind a big wooden box they had used for bringing the plackets. "Did anyone see that thing?"

"Chill out, my spooksters can't damage you, not if I don't tell them to." Jack laughed along with the rest of the Titans, while BB came out of the box with an uncumfurtable expression at the spookster that kept smiling at everyone. More and more spooksters came out of the walls and floor creeping Starfire when they appeared behind her. Raven and Robin just saw them curiously while Cy tried uselessly to talk to them. "Get some rest, we will finish this."

"Okay..." BB said nervously. "But I don't want any of them on my room at night!"

"Don't worry, they can't talk, not smell. Places that smell like a trash can aren't their favorite." Jack mocked. "By the way. Raven, where did you get that wooden globe? I want one here."

Raven turned back ferociously. One of her eyebrows lifted, and her eyes went white. Black telepathic power appeared on hr hands. The Titans ran upstairs leaving the door shut, as they didn't want to be part of the, massacre. Halfway through the staircase and the tower trembled with a shout.

"How dare you!" Ravens voice was heard between blasts, noises, and Jacks apologies. "No one ever enters my room! And how could you read my books!"

That night Jack didn't sleep either, defending himself all night left both fighters exhausted, and after Raven finally went to bed (Around 3:15 am) Jack still had to clean up the mess all over the basement.

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_All right, this chapter it's not **that** important, but I didn't want you to forget I existed, and had to introduce the spooksters and confirm Jacks mercenary identity. **R&RR&R&R&R&R&R&R&R**_


	5. The Hound

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, but I do own Jack Shoreshooter. So don't you use that character, unless of course you talk to me first.

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_To Cuiasodo: Don't worry, I appreciate you're commentaries anyhow, I hope you keep reviewing every time you read, even if it is to complain.

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He meant no harm, he was no good either. After a whole month with the Titans, Jack started to wonder if it was a good idea to keep living with them. –I'm afraid- he thought –of what may happen, of what I may do… No, no, come on Jack, be positive. Nothing will happen unless… unless you want it to…- And that was the deepest problem, in some place in his mind, in some part of him, he wanted it, he wanted, to kill everyone.

"Yo, Jack! Can I barrow a spookster?" Cy told him when he went down the roof. "I need to repair a delicate system, and everyone's busy."

"Sure" Jack sighted softly. A spookster appeared at his side and joined Cyborg, but went back to its master when it saw the expression on his face. "I'm okay." Jack said simply, trying to hide why he was troubled. "Go on, help him, I'll be just fine." The spookster went with Cyborg again, and followed him downstairs, looking back various times, to watch over his melancholic master.

Starfire flew by the living room at noon. Jack was watching the ripples on the shore through the glass wall, well, perhaps not watching, but thinking, feeling. She got near, just floated lightly near him to see if he was all right. He just seemed depressed, perhaps homesick; she decided to leave him alone, remembering that Robin had once told her that people sometimes need time to think before acting. She kept on sweeping, it was her turn on the week to clean the Tower, she floated here and there, with a broom or a mop, cleaning and sweeping every corner of the T-tower. She went to the gym, the rooms, the storage rooms, even the basements. Making sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she went to the living room again to get a soda. Went upstairs, past the staircase frame, and when she got near the fridge she noticed Jack was still staring motionless at the shore. This really worried her, she walked slowly near him, and speaking in a quiet voice, she interrupted his meditation.

"Is something troubling you?" She told him. "You've been watching the water all day. I even went all over the tower and you're still here… and I wondered if… something had happened to you…"

"I miss the sea you know…" his voice was cut off, more like a moaning breeze. "my own waters, where I used to sail."

"You can always sail in the T-ship if you want, I don't think Cyborg will get angry if you barrow it." She was trying to cheer him up, but, she hadn't learned nothing about Jack in the past month, from all the Titans she was the one he less talked to. Jack just sighted, it was not the same, even if she tried to cheer him up, and he wouldn't get better.

"Thanks Starfire but… I think I'll just stay daydreaming". He hadn't changed his tone, nor his expressions, not even had left his gaze from the shore while he talked to her, but never less, he had thanked her, and he didn't thank anyone normally. She felt happy for that and decided to leave him alone, going to her room with a large smile.

Cyborg and BB came a while later, they had gone to the grocery store for some things for dinner, it was BB's turn to cook after all. They found Jack in the same place Starfire had left him, even in the same pose and expression. They decided to leave him alone, he had been like that since a pair of days ago, and had already told them he was feeling homesick. Both of them got to work, BB was prepared to cook an "all round" salad, along with some tofu for the rest of the crowd; Cyborg only helped him put the groceries on the shelves and then went over to the game station. He passed one level, passed another, got near to beating his own record on the third level… Robin went near, coming back from a robbery on the city's center.

"Still homesick Jack?" He asked while he sat down on the coach and grabbed one of the game station's controls. Jack didn't answer. "Don't worry; you'll fell better for tomorrow."

Then, both him and Cyborg started an epic battle on the huge screen, in which, after almost two hours of exhausting game play, Cyborg raised as the winner, with a loud: "ON YOUR FACE ROB!" he celebrated his victory. It was just two o'clock. Then, a loud sound was heard on the Tower, everyone stopped what they where doing, and paid attention, even Jack raised his look. The alarm had showed hostile conducts on the center of the city, where two large robots where smashing a street, on their way to a power plant. The colors of the machines, and a symbol on their chests showed the mind behind the act. Slade.

The street shook, when one of the bots slammed its massive fists on the pavement. The Titans had already gotten there (On the T-car, or the T- sub, or on BB. I don't care!) and where ready to face them. The first to make his move was BB, turning into a T-rex he tackled one of the four robots and tumbled it down over a car. Raven and Cyborg went over to one on the right; Raven used her telepathy to lift the robot up in the air, as Cyborg shot its chest, crushing it with sonic blasts. Raven and Starfire took the center one, and Jack went behind it, to take on the last android. Starfire knocked the robot down with an energy beam, and Robin trespassed it with his boo staff.

"Too easy…" he said. "he usually wouldn't make this so easy. I think this is probably... Whoa!"

Jack had thrown the Robot where the others were and had almost squashed Robin. Maybe because he was just being careless, but there was always a chance… he had done it on purpose. Anyhow, before he could not apologize, nor Robin could ask him for an excuse, the robot BB was fighting, the one he had tackled again and again without much success began running to the power plant. The Titans went after it, Robin threw one of his ice disks (or whatever their name are) to the androids legs, paralyzing it from feet to its hip. Cyborg then shot an extra powerful blast to the robots back, which trespassed its chest and soon the robot fell to the ground.

"That's it?" Cyborg asked quite disappointed.

"Yeah" Robin agreed. "It was too easy. I don't think he meant…"

"Look!" Starfire exclaimed, the robot was moving again, hardly holding itself together, its mechanism still struggled to complete its mission. It crept a few feet nearer the plant, then, fell into pieces, but not before a mechanism on its head made a signal, just a single order that entered the power plant's main system and annulated all action. No one could see it though, but Cyborg explained, catching the signal, it was a virus made to stop all functions on the power plant, and any other power plants along Jump City. Soon the city would be powerless, unless of course they found the proper anti virus.

"So that was his plan…" Robin mumbled. "but if he just wanted to deactivate the power plant, why the robots? He could have sent any other undetectable device or… Why did he do this?"

"Perhaps that question will answer by itself." Raven said referring to Jack. He still was on the battles sight and was now facing the robot he had defeated, which had waken up and taken the parts of the other androids as weapons! Nerveless, Jack wasn't having any trouble with this foe, he kept dodging its hits and slicing its legs, but without making any real damage. The Titans came near, and Jack made a gesture for them to stop.

"Regenerators. I hate regenerators." He said. "_Yet still, it makes the battle more challenging_." Jack was not acting normally, he was not talking normally, he was having an arrogant tone, and was battling in a bloodthirsty attitude. He was enjoying the battle, being furious, not really getting serious but, if it was possible, making the android suffer, he wanted it to be tormented on his attacks and furious strategies. He wasn't fighting to win, he was fighting for pleasure, just, because he could, because he wanted it, because he wanted to fight, he wanted to be challenged, he wanted to see blood. And yet it was horrible, seeing how he slowly sliced the mechanical golem, piece by piece, the talons, the fingers, getting in every cut the flavor of his victims suffering. "_This is easy_." He mocked "_You sit there and watch me fight_. Or perhaps you would like to go after him?"

He was referring to a figure on the top of one of the power plants towers; a black and orange armor identified him. Slade made an amazing jump over to the nearest building and ran through the roof.

"Titans Go!" Robin shouted as everyone made their way after Slade. Still, Raven and Starfire made a quick look at Jack, which by now was on the androids neck, with his saber on its forehead, and since he had cut its hand off it couldn't catch him.

"Come on!" he shouted arrogantly. "Catch me you bunch of rusty steel! Catch me! Jajajajaja!" He was loosing it. Both girls flew after Slade again, still leaving Jack to his own luck.

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Slade was fast, no doubt of it; he jumped from roof to roof trying to miss the Titans, each time getting nearer to the western mountains of the city. Robin was leading the persecution, he knew Slade might be leading them to a trap… the power plant… the power gone out all over the city… he had a plan, Robin was sure of it. Slade jumped to the street on a point where he could land safely and entered an alleyway. BB and Raven went to the other side to wait for him to come out, as Robin and the others went behind him. They found nothing, Slade had disappeared and they had been left in the middle of the alleyway. 

"You're loosing the touch Titans." Slade's voice was heard. He was on top of them, on one of the roofs again, quickly placing a pair of explosives in both walls. "Don't tell me you can't fallow my step anymore?"

"Never" Robin groaned. Slade made the walls fall over them as he ran back to where Jack was, leaving the Titans under the rubbles.

Slade went back to the power plant street, where Jack kept torturing the automat. He had grabbed the robot by an arm, and was slamming it against the buildings, fury was shown in his face. Slade was more than pleased with it, Jacks abilities could be very useful for him, he could not let him go away. He approached the buildings border, and jumped to the street in a safe distance from Jack. He approached applauding when Jack finally let the twisted metal that once was the robot on the floor. Jack looked at Slade suspiciously, he had heard about him, but never met him, he was going to see what he was made of, then, kill him. He cleaned his hands from dirt and sweat, and walked towards the armored man.

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"Nice work Mr. Shoreshooter." Slade greeted him in a slight tone. "I see you enjoy destruction just as much as I do." 

"_Perhaps_" Jack said looking at his fist. "but I don't know how much you like it, so I have no idea."

"But you like causing pain and suffering, destroying and letting your dark side free." Slade suggested. "each time you are in battle you become fierce, letting your enemies know you have no mercy for the weak."

"_Yes, sometimes_," Jack confessed. "But I didn't use to be like this…"

"The point is Mr. Shoreshooter, that you and I are alike, and that we could perform an, alliance perhaps." Slade continued. "My mind and your abilities could be used for destruction, something I know you will enjoy."

"They told me you tried to hire someone some time ago, but he refused because he thought you where a psychopath." Jack said slowly. "I'm sorry, but I have a contract with my clients, and the Titans hired me first, I refuse too."

"That's quite disappointing you know." Slade said getting into battle pose and grabbing from his belt a kind of electrically charged claw. "And as you might just guess, I can't let you live if you're not on my side."

He jumped over Jack, who ran aside and avoided the electrical slash, Slade raised his gaze to dodge Jacks saber from cutting him in half and tumbled Jack down with a kick on the chest, Jack crashed on the pile of robot junk he had made, and got trapped under the steel. Slade came near where Jack was struggling to get out, Jack has trapped between a giant leg and an arm, and the only thing he could move was his head and his right arm.

"How disappointing." Slade said arrogantly. "I didn't know you where so easily beaten."

"I would be beaten…" Jack said slowly, his voice was changing, into a rough, deep, low voice, he held his gaze down, until Slade was close enough, and then raised his head, with anger and a fierce look in his eyes. "_If I was Jack_!" His eyes went red, a scarlet glow filled them when a diabolic feeling filled the air and Slade stepped back, in fear. The junk flew away and crashed on the buildings, Slade jumped over Jack again, this time Jack used his Nightmare self to catch him and hold him in midair. "_You had a good proposal, but I don't hang out with short minded people_."

He crushed Slade on a nearby store, he stood up in fury and attacked again, this time he was too fast, and too fierce, Jack couldn't evade it and the claw got stuck on his chest, giving him a shock on the blood torrent. He screamed in pain, but soon, the screams became mad laughing when Jack took Slade's arm and, as if it was a weak stick, broke it. Slade screamed and pulled the claw out of Jacks chest, now he was not angry, he was totally going insane.

"Who the hell are you!" He shouted.

Jack took him with one of his massive Nightmare hands, lifted him in the air, lunched him over the buildings, and out of sight. He turned around, and laughed, it had been easier than he had though, and even though the wound on his chest, he felt better now he had been destroying everything. He had enjoyed it, the destruction, the fight, he needed more… no, he didn't want it, a part of him denied it, his mind was becoming a place of voices and choices, there was something else in him, fighting for control. He kneeled in pain, his head was palpitating, as a presence became stronger and demanded to get out of him, to become his owner.

"Go away!" Jack shouted. "I don't need you here, go away!"

"_You know you can't escape me_" The other, lower voice said, as Jacks eyes went red again. "_You and I, are one, you can't deny me, because I am you_."

"No! It is not true! You are a monster, a beast!"

"_Nightmare you where born Nightmare you will live_!" the voice said. "_Everybody told you I was a monster, but you knew the truth, that we are one, and you can't change it_."

"No, no! " Jack's screams became whispers, he was falling into despair. "Go away, I don't need you now, not now, please, go away."

He hadn't realized how much he was bleeding, the wound on his chest had became worse, his legs where almost covered in blood, but he didn't care.

"_Now is when I can make you understand_." The voice said, taking control over Jack and making their body stand up. "_That you can't deny yourself, Nightmare_!"

"No!" Jack fell on the puddle of blood trying to stop himself from madness. "You can't! We must not!"

"_See?_" the voice said. "_You are beginning to refer to yourself as you should, _us."

Jack fell desperate, knowing what was to come. The Titans came over the buildings; they had managed to escape Slade's attack, but had lost his track when he got there, when they saw Jack they went to help him right away. Jack however couldn't let them come near, he made a barrier, to keep them in a safe distance, however they forced the field and since Jack was weak they trespassed it.

"Go away." Jack managed to whisper when they tried to lift him up. "You must go. Evacuate the city, now."

"What are you saying Jack? You are bleeding; you're coming to the tower…"

"No, you don't understand" He looked at Raven, knowing she could feel what was happening, and indeed she could, she was getting nervous, but managed to hide it. "no one is safe…"

Raven came near Robin and made him let go of Jack.

"We must evacuate. Now." She was using her normal serious tone, but Jack knew she was nervous, that she could fell _him._ "He will be alright; we must save the people first."

"Maybe I should stay and watch for him in case he…" Starfire was interrupted by Cyborg.

"Maybe it's not a good idea Star." He said. "You heard him, he'll be okay. We've got work to do."

They left to different corners of jump city, leaving Jack in the blood puddle, which grew bigger each second. He felt how he lost control of himself, he was becoming inhuman, he was going to lose it sooner or later, he knew his mind just couldn't help it, that it would hurt him, but he had to resist, no matter what. The pain grew, the voices too, like a train that came through a dark tunnel, the presence came nearer and nearer, taking control over Jack at every moment, he soon wouldn't be able to fight it.

"_You can't just not let me in_" the voice said. "_Because I'm already in, I was here with you before, all the way, although they locked me for so long_."

"And you should have stayed there." Jack complained. "Why are you coming out now? Why?"

"_Because you're weak, the travel and feeling homesick lower your defenses, remember? Besides, it is a miserable planet with weak people, quite a place for a playground_."

"You monster…" Jack shouted.

"_You're the monster!_ _Remember that? She told it to you… and you knew it was true… And who knows? I may end up not killing anyone, if they don't bother me…_" The voice said coolly. Jack couldn't respond, he felt he was about to faint.

* * *

"Come on! Come on! Move! The city will be safe soon now go!" Cyborg helped people out of the city and into the mountains, just like the rest of his partners, he didn't know what was coming, Raven had just told him it could be bad, that they should be prepared for something… But didn't say what. There was almost no one left in the city; in a few minutes, the Titans had done all they could to evacuate quickly, so they could go help Jack, if he hadn't bled to death by then. "Hey Rob! Do you think that's all of them?" 

Robin was nearby in another street, the city seemed to be empty, and so, it was safe to go in now.

"I think so." He said. "Let's just hope he's still alive."

They hasted through the streets and way back where Jack was, he hadn't move, not even changed his position, he had his fists and knees on the floor, and his black clothes dripping the few blood he had left. Somehow, he stayed alive, in a coma like state, but alive. Robin and Cyborg came near, fallowed by Raven and Beast Boy, Starfire was the last to get to the street, she floated cautiously near Jack. His breath was heavy, and rough, his gaze down, like if he was waiting for something.

"Jack?" Starfire said timidly stretching a hand to try and touch him. "Are you… Oh my!" When Jack had held his gaze, his eyes where glowing red, like two rubies, they saw Starfire with hatred and a fierce blood sick feeling. She gasped and stepped back, Jack moved, but didn't change his four legged position.

"_It's a shame_." The low rough voice was heard. "_That you couldn't make it on time, before, you would have to deal with a bloodthirsty Jack, now, you'll have to face me…_"

"Who are you?" Raven said coolly. A wicked laugh echoed in the city's walls, like a diabolic mock.

"_Who am I! Well find out for yourself_!" The voice said this in an insane way, then, something horrible happened. From Jack's hands, huge blade like claws cut his skin and stretched out fiercely, Jacks skin seemed to tense, as the rest of his body, while horrible cracks and sounds where made by bones braking, and muscles stretching and growing. Jacks body was becoming huge reaching the height and length of the buses on the street, his skin, a rough black haired covered armor showed a dog like shape, strong, mighty, frightening, his hair had became long and smooth, and now covered the hounds back, and went all over to its huge powerful tail. In the front, over the thick neck, its head, a huge large teethed jaw, laid under two crystal like yellow eyes, and over which, between the black hair, where two long horns.

The hound, standing over the blood, in front of them, was about six meters tall, and more than fifty meters from head to tail. Its jaw, as big as a whole car, was just proportional to its paws and claws, each one of them in the shape and length of Jacks saber.

Everyone was shocked, the transformation, although fast, had been to grotesque, the Hound stood now in front of them "smiling" dreadfully as they went on battle pose and ran for battle. The Titans jumped aside, the Hound ran down street and turned around quickly, running again to tackle them.

"We've got to fight, but try not to hurt him much" Robin ordered. The Hound speeded up and jumped over the buildings, about to land over BB he transformed into a hawk and flew over, then it landed heavily on the street, breaking it, Cyborg pointed his canon to its chest, the Hound turned around, receiving the blast on the face, he gave Cyborg a deep odd look. Cyborg got hypnotized with the beasts huge diamond like eyes, in their bottom, he could see something, a shape, like a shadow, he was in such a deep trance he couldn't hear his friends calling him "Cy step back!" or "Get out of there!" he had to know what was in those eyes. And then he knew it…

When Raven lifted the Hound in the air it was too late, Cyborg had his hands on his head, screaming in pain and shooting sonic blasts everywhere. He was going mad, feeling inside him how everything crumbled down, and suffering in his mind for horrible images and hallucinations. The Hound got rid of Ravens spell, and fell on the street again, using its tail as a whip he tried to catch Starfire but missed, then, when BB tackled him as an elephant it slashed him with its long claws, and crushed him into a wall. When he got his human shape back he had a horrible purple wound on his chest, which bled deeply.

"Raven take care of BB and try to calm down Cy! Star, help me here!" Robin said. Raven went to see how BB was, while Starfire floated over the Hound. Robin stood on the other side of the street, facing his enemy, trying to think of a way to face it. It didn't gave him time, the Hound ran right at him, and jumped over showing its claws, Robin prepared with his boo staff, but the beast turned around in the air, hit him with his tale and lunched him several meters away, then, using a building wall, it jumped towards Starfire, that panicked couldn't react on time, the Hound opened its jaws, full of long razor like teeth, and trapped her between them, then jumped again over a buildings roof, and ran quickly through the street.

"Star!" Robin shouted, standing up and running after the Hound.

"Stop!" Raven told him, leaving BB and Cyborg (left unconscious after she attacked him) on a safe corner of the street. "We must think before we do something else. He knows what he's doing; he knows that we will go for Starfire. If we go unprepared he will take us down too."

"But why is he doing this?" Robin asked angrily.

"Jack had been repressing him inside his mind for too long, now he wants to make things his way… that's what I think." Raven said shortly.

"Okay, let's go, catch up with him and rescue Star. I'll distract him while you smash something on him or something…"

"I suppose that will work… or I'll think something else" Robin fallowed Raven from the street, she was fallowing the Hound from the air, but still couldn't see it, then, a building fell down and she knew were to go, she told Robin to haste as she flew to meet the Hound.

The beast seemed to be waiting for her over the destroyed building, with Starfire still in its jaws, she had fainted because she had lost too much blood and was hanging from the creature's mouth. Raven lifted up one of the buildings columns and tried to hit the hound with it, quite disappointed the creature made a strong movement and pulverized the stone column with its tail. It gave raven a "You know that wont work…" look and then faced Robin, that had just got to the scene. Furiously Robin ran, swinging his boo staff, made a great jump and smacked the Hound's snout, taking advantage of the situation he used his staff to open the dog's mouth and rescue Starfire. She didn't look good, one of the beast's teeth had trespassed her waist and the wound had infected… or poisoned. Raven saw how he grabbed Starfire delicately and jumped out of the dog's mouth, she noticed something that troubled her, the hound was awake, and not tired, he knew what Robin was doing, and let him do it, he wanted to take them there, that was it. But why?

After Robin jumped from its mouth it stepped back and crouched, assuming a battle pose.

"_Well… I thought you would be more of a challenge_," the Hound said in his low rough creepy tone "_but as I can see you're not worth it… I guess I'll just kill you and go home then…_" He jumped over the three of them, showing all its claws, Raven lifted a wall but it was crushed by one of the Hounds claws, Robin ran to avoid being crushed, but before the Hound fell to the ground it was blown away by a blast, and landed on a pile of dirt and crumble.

"Stand back!" It was Cyborg, shooting desperately his canon to the Hound, bombing him and trying to bury it under the building. Robin was very pleased to see his friend was fine, but suddenly noticed he was not just attacking, he was panicked. Half angry, half frightened, he kept shooting to the cloud of smoke in front of him until.

"It's okay Cyborg…" Raven said pulling his arm down. The cloud of smoke disappeared slowly, the Titans waited ready for a sudden attack, but when the smoke cleared there was nothing more than a whole between the crumbled pieces of the building. They came near cautiously weapons ready, Robin kept an eye on Starfire to be sure she was safe, Cyborg tried to calm himself and be vigilant in case something showed up, and Raven just tried to focus in case she needed to use more strength. But when they got to the hole, it was empty, just a shadow left inside. They looked to each other, then to the hole again, deep inside, two yellow gems appeared, looking at them maliciously. The Hound shot out of the hole, gave Cyborg a slap with its tail, then, passing by Robin's side, tackled Raven, she slammed against a crumbled wall and fell to the ground.

Robin looked behind him, the Hound came rushing at him, he jumped backwards and managed to get on it, grabbed its long black mane and hold strongly as the Hound tried to shake him off. Finally the beast ran through the street, and to the city's center, it was trying to separate Robin from the others, when it saw a tall white building it went running towards it and with a huge jump, began climbing it. Seeing it would make it seem so easy, the Hound just ran vertically towards the roof, and once taken enough height, it let himself fall freely. Robin didn't know what to do, there where no smaller buildings nearby, and at the height and speed they where falling he would probably crash at the first impact, he had no escape. He saw the Hound; with its eyes closed it enjoyed the fall, and since it would probably be his last, Robin decided to do the same. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something that would comfort him. By dawn, both of them fell on the ground.

* * *

_No this it's not the end of it, wait till the next chapter, The Nightmare Tamer, to see whatever happened. Till then._

_Subliminal message: R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R……etc…etc_


	6. Nightmare Tammer

_Disclaimer :I don't own the Teen Titans, but I do own Jack Shoreshooter. So don't you use that character, unless of course you talk to me first._

_Cuiasodo: Thanks again for your useful reviews, I didn't notice the computer had changed tackle to talk; however, I want your point of view for the **story** too.

* * *

_

Robin opened his eyes, feeling the pain run through his body. Something, had saved him, something had changed his course just in time to avoid death. The only thing he saw then was the huge black dog, standing up, and walking away, to disappear between the shadows.

* * *

"This just seems too easy." Slade said to himself letting down the last of a dozen beaten guards. "It feels so simple to steal something, when nobody has energy left to stop you." 

The robot next to him lightened his way, crossing the hall full of machines and formulas in large blackboards. Their goal: a lonely statue in a glass cylinder, waiting motionless to be restored. Slade came near, touched the glass and stared at the rock; it was motionless, lifeless, and almost hopeless to any efforts of scientists to get her out of that rock state.

"Lets see." Slade said lowering his tone, making it a whisper. "If you are some use to me this time."

* * *

Robin laid his hand gently over Ravens shoulder, and gave her a flashlight. The hospital was now a maze of shadows and moans of those dying without hope. Even now, resting on opposite beds, their friends suffered the consequences of the Hounds venom. 

"The doctors say their bodies are not the ones poisoned." Robin informed, his voice almost broken, contained his despair. "Their minds are being tortured, somehow, there's nothing to be done; but wait."

"I can't believe I was so helpless." Cyborg sighted sitting in a chair next to Beast Boy's bed. "I… I couldn't see what I was doing."

"What happened to you?" Raven said, hiding, as always her face under her cloak. "You seemed disturbed."

"I saw" Cyborg said slowly. "Myself become a robot, completely, there where scientists, wanting to take away my human self. And no matter what I did… I couldn't stop them." His voice fell so did his gaze, he was also feeling desperate.

"It's okay." Robin said, walking silently over to Starfire's bed. "We didn't know what to expect. It won't be like this next time."

"The problem is: When will next time be?" Raven said coolly looking at Robin as though he had the answer.

"Yeah. I mean how are we goanna make it without Beast Boy and Starfire?" Cyborg complained standing up his chair. A loud, deep moan came from upstairs, followed by screams and crying. Since the city had no power, the medical equipment was useless, and many had died already. However, the people had returned to the city, because, the rumors where; the Hound had gone.

"I'm not saying we are going to fight him now, but, we have to do it sometime." He walked cross the room and took a look outside the window. The city was a sea, of darkness and sorrow, cars and flashlights lightening what they could where like boats, lost in the storm made by the titan hiding between the shadows. "Anyhow. I'm more concern about Slade. This whole thing of the energy was his idea. Wonder what he is up to?"

"Let's hope things clear out soon enough" Raven said moving next to him, invisible, between the darkness. "And that it doesn't get any worse. I wonder… what Jack is thinking right now…"

* * *

"_See? I told you it would be fun_." The rough, low voice of the Hound echoed in the alleyway. His yellow gem like eyes fixed on the hospital in front of him. "_Did you saw how that Cyborg went wild? You can't tell me that isn't fun! Besides, it ai'nt everyday you get to kick the local super hero team's ass."_

"You may be right." Jack agreed also looking at the building. "But we're not done yet. We still owe them the "Grand Finale". Shall we?" The Hound smiled in a joyful, proud way.

"_That's my boy_." He told Jack. "_Always finishing our work. Yes, we haven't played enough yet. And who knows? Maybe even the raven would come play with the dog_." Its teeth shone between the shadows, like a long line of knife, one next to the other, and next second, they were gone.

* * *

"Well?" She said, waiting once more for an answer that didn't come. "What are we doing?" 

"As long as the city remains like this the only thing we can do is wait, for that dog or Slade to appear." Cyborg said having a drink of Coke from the can. "What else?"

He lightened Starfire with an incorporated lantern in his arm, she was asleep alright but her face changed every second, from happy, to nervous, then sad, suddenly horrorstruck or about to cry, it was the most express full nightmare anyone could see. Beast Boy in the other hand moved each while or mumbled something in his sleep; he also wasn't having any good dreams. None of them woke up, no matter how hard a noise was or how dreadful their dreams where, they were trapped in their nightmares.

"We should…" a sudden sound cut off Robin and made him grab his transmisor out of his belt so fast it almost slipped out of his hands. There was activity going on the scientific research lab on the east of town. The lab where the Titans had taken Terra to be re-animated. Nothing was said; they looked at each other and ran out of the room.

The streets were still dark, Cyborg lighted the way for the others to follow, running along they were the only ones left outside, or at least that's what they where thinking. Like if the shadows were alive a huge black figure jumped out of an alleyway and blocked their way, five feet above the ground two yellow gems shone maliciously. A wide, sullen smile also floated, showing away about a hundred long blade-like teeth.

"_We meet again_." The Hound said. "_Are_ _you ready to fight or may I toy with you some more?_"

"We'll see about that!" said Cyborg showing his blast canyon, trying to hide he was nervous. The images of his hallucinations were still torturing him like something nailed to his skull; he could still see those scientists taking notes and making "upgrades" to his body while he watched incapable of stopping them. He made a shot, light spread everywhere but nothing was seen, the Hound had moved and was now behind Robin preparing to crunch him.

However Robin had already heard the dog run around him and made an spectacular backwards jump, landing over the Hounds head, and dodging its horns made a sharp hit right on its forehead. The hound growled with anger and struck him with its right claw, missing again. Cyborg meanwhile aimed to the Hounds chest, yet he couldn't lock the target with so many movement going on.

"You go ahead and stop Slade!" Robin shouted to Raven, who was floating several feet above them. "I think he is after Terra! Run!" he dodge-rolled to avoid the Hounds claws once again.

* * *

Raven flew right away to the science research lab leaving the loud battlefield behind, the lab was as dark as the rest of the city, yet, under the soft moonlight that had just appeared behind a cloud, movement could be seen. And there was a lot of movement going around. When Raven glided lower to sneak at the main hall window she saw not only Slade, standing next to the complex machine that held Terra, but about five dozen of robots between ninja like ones, big strong ones and a funny kind of crab bots, with needle like pincers, all waiting for their master to make his move. 

Raven glided fast, but silently to a security door near the base of the hall, quietly broke through the lock to open the door. Once inside she made her way down the corridors, getting into the hall, all the way there was covered by the unconscious bodies of the security guards, helpless as usual. She reached the hall, Slade hadn't moved an inch, neither his robots, Raven hid behind an old big machine near the door, and waited. Slade got a kind of remote control and entered a code on it; there was a loud noise, a loud cracking coming near, like bolts of lightning, and so the lab lights went on, the machines worked again, and Raven's hiding spot was gone.

The old machine turned out to be an electrical crate made to transport materials from a room to another, and now energy was back it had moved on to its next assignment. Slade's robots saw Raven uncovered and began shooting without mercy, she took a large supercomputer and blocked the laser beams with it, then threw it to some nearby foes and glided over to Slade covering herself in a psychic shield, Slade contained her charge against him with a whole body defense braking her in the spot.

"So you come for your little stone cold friend don't you?" He said arrogantly. "Why don't you just sit down and see how grown ups manage things up?" And so he threw her to the floor breaking her shield, but didn't attack, in fact, he turned around and hold his hands behind his back. The robots stood still. "You know? I myself was quite surprised when they found a sparkle of life in this statue, however I knew it would take them time to return her to life. But now, they have got this machine, and I…" he took CD out of his belt. "…Got this, the missing part of the puzzle that will return my apprentice to me."

"Even if she does return, she will not work for you, not anymore." Said Raven standing up as quick as she could and stared in alert for danger. "How is that useful for you?"

"Oh it _is_ useful you see." He said coolly. "you actually didn't think I wouldn't be prepared for this?" There was a large pocket in Slade's ankle, he leaned down; he didn't get out a weapon, but a device that looked like a pair of high tech headphones. "Once her memories are no longer a problem I will be able to train her as my own daughter, a perfect apprentice under my command. Don't you see I also have a kind side?"

"I see you're desperate" Raven said. "And that you don't pay attention to details."

The headphones where surrounded by black psychic energy, tried to be stolen from Slade's hand, however the strength he had made quite match for Ravens psychic. They both dragged the headphones their way, and when Slade finally seemed to be giving in… Slam! The hall door was opened in a banging sound and the Hound came in showing all teeth and claws. It ran after the first dozen bots it saw and crunched almost all of them in one bite, then wiped another battalion with its tail and lunched junk over to Slade and Raven. This made her lose focus and Slade tucked the headphones back on his pocket.

"_Quite a party you have here._" It said looking around, being surrounded by robots. "_Mind you if I invite some friends? Spooksters time to work!_" Dozens of ghastly dog spooksters floated out of the ground and the walls, unlike Jack's calm human ones, the Hound's spooksters had piercing teeth and were fierce looking. The pack of hounds jumped over the robots, ripping the metal apart like it was soft flesh; one after another the robots fell, unable to catch the phantom beasts. Soon, all that remained where pieces of metal all around the hall, the Hound standing arrogantly between them. "_Now were more intimate. How about finishing this afternoon's fight?_" He said looking right at Slade and Raven.

"I've got no time to be meddling with you", Slade said taking out his boo staff. Neither he or Raven were fighting now, they both stand on defense against the Hound, which on his side moved his head and saw Raven maliciously.

"_Its not you I need to beat old man._" It said, and then, for everyone's surprise another voice was heard. Jack's. "I need to take care, of the last of the Teen Titans." Raven gasped, without knowing she looked shocked, almost terrified. How had the Hound defeated Robin and Cyborg so quickly? "Go outside Raven, and I'll make it quick. _Unless you want to suffer…_"

"This is not the time" she said remembering how things could get worse if Terra returned to help Slade. "If I don't stop him the city will be in danger."

"Do you think a care about the city? _We haven't attacked it because it had done nothing to us, but that doesn't mean we care what happens to it_. Never less the Teen Titans did attack us, and for that, we must fight back." Both minds were taking turns to speak, the Hound was still smiling and enjoying the chaos, while Jack seemed more concern about the situation, in some way, sorry for what he was about to do. "_You attack me, attack both of us._ We can't change what we are, or forget it neither, I learned that the hard way, now, go outside."

The Hound slammed its tail against one of the walls and opened a hole, outside, the huge trailer parking lot, just the right battlefield. Raven floated slowly outside, keeping an eye on Slade; he was back at the computer, setting it up for the reanimation process, he couldn't care less whichever of them won, or lost.

She walked by the beast until they reached the center of the lot, then, she grabbed a truck with telepathy and threw it over the Hound. It horned it and sent it flying once more.

"_Trying to end this quickly wont help!_" it shouted swinging its tail once again, Raven shot upwards and from there threw several containers and iron pipes which the Hound avoided by inches. One last container was ripped in half when the Hound jumped to try and bite Raven without success, but getting to hit her on the head. Both of them fell to the ground, Raven stood up quickly just to find herself under the hound's fangs, and feeling how one of its claws fell gently on her waist, ready to cut her in half. "Quite an embarrassing situation don't you think?"

"It depends" she said coolly. "What are you going to do?"

"I was planning to let you go, y have already proved I can defeat you lot, however. _I am curious, of knowing which your worst nightmare is, and maybe, make it come true._" The Hound came nearer to her, its breath, unlike Jack's was like a blizzard, strong, and frozen. Raven closed her eyes and turned her head, trying to avoid the Hound's gaze from driving her mad; this only made the Hound laugh. "Closing your eyes will only make it worse, I attack your fears, your mind, not your body, I feed from them, grow stronger, now let's see…"

Raven heard a whistling sound become louder and louder, then stopped, and when she opened her eyes, there was nothing, no Hound over her, no ice cold breath, but also no parking lot or lab, they where in a bizarre dimension, an infinite, dark abyss. Her mind.

"Nice place you've got here." She turned around, and saw standing on a floating stone, not only the Hound, but also Jack, riding over it. Wearing black heavy pants, a leather vest and bare feet, he held one of the Hounds claws in his left hand, a claw crafted like a sword. "Although I wouldn't have chosen this decoration."

"I need to stop thisJack." Raven came nearer to him, Jack and the Hound didn't move, they both showed the same fade smile. "If I don't stop Slade he will make one of my friends forget everything and could take over the city."

"_You know we don't care_. Lets finish this quick; I promise it won't hurt, not physically at least." Raven heard a weird buzzing in her head, it was growing stronger, stronger, becoming deafening, she kneeled in pain, the buzzing went on becoming unbearable. Images began to be projected, between the dark space in her mind, images of herself, her father, all her worst fears and concerns being exposed right away, she shut her eyes, stunned by pain, the buzzing kept getting stronger and the images showed more, deeper and more painful fears every second. Jack raised his sword, about to finish Raven off and then… made a swing, and cut the air. All of a sudden the buzzing and pain were gone as well as the images of Raven's fears.

Ground returned to its place, as well as the Hound and her. She opened her eyes, they were back at the parking lot, the Hound was still over her but its claw was now pointing her throat; the beast's smile had gone out, now he was serious, looking midair in a melancholic way.

"_You take it from here Jack._" It said. "_I can't do anything now_." It just took a few seconds, but the Hound slowly began shrinking, and transforming into something else, more human. The claw didn't move, it kept pointing at Ravens neck and when the transformation had ended, Jack stood in front of her, wearing the clothes he was using in her mind, and with his claw-sword still pointing at her neck.

"I…had never met… some that had managed to tame her fears that way… get up." Raven stood up carefully not to be struck by the blade. Jack was looking very surprised, nostalgic, and deep in his heart, sad. He had the same lost gaze his beast had. "My Hound can do nothing against you now; it can only feed from enemies who don't control their fear; and as for me, a mind like that deserves my respect." In a very quick movement he kneeled in front of her and held his sword in his open palms, offering it to her. "And my loyalty. From now on, my fang, and my sword are at you're service."

Raven stood awestruck, not knowing what to do or say, her knees where still trembling weakwith fear but still she was little pink by shame. Suddenly remembered what she was doing there she returned to her normal self and made a gesture for Jack to stand up.

"I've got a work for you." She told him. "But we'll do it without dogs this time."

A whistling sound was heard outside; Slade didn't paid attention to it, so close to success he couldn't let anything distract him. Entered the final formulas the only thing he had to do was enter the security codes for the experiment to begin. He connected his code breaker, a small metal box. A "beep" sound indicated everything was ready and going. The machines made a loud noise while the energy level in the container raised over half its usual quantity, long steel sticks came out of the machines walls and out of these, bolts of lightning that pierced the statue and made it shine. The process was almost complete now, the statue began to crumble, and whole pieces of it fell apart like scales, exposing what they had been trapping for so long, still alive human flesh.

Slade enthusiasm was growing, although he gave no sign of it, he walked near the machine, holding in his hands one of the scientists robes. The pieces of molten lava fell from Terra's skin dragging her clothes with them; when the process finally finished, her unconscious body fell on Slade's arm, which covered the naked girl with the white coat. Now, the last part of the operation was to be completed, he got out of his pocket, and was about to place them on Terra when…

"That! Now!" Raven yelled, Jack's sword flew through the air like a boomerang filled with dark energy, it hit Slade's hand and cut the headphones by half, Slade's hand bleed horribly and his blood fell over Terra's cheek. "I can't believe it did work." Raven said skeptic looking at Terra in Slade's arms. "Now handle her."

Slade ran towards an emergency door on the other side of the hall, the blood in his hand stained the white robes in which he held Terra and walking between the labs machines and his own robots pieces didn't make the escape any easier. Jack stretched his hand to the right, grabbed the body of one of the crab-bots and threw it over to Slade; it fell just in front of him, and blocked his way out. Jack's sword swirled through the air and came spinning back at him, he stretched his left hand in the air and couth it right away, he and Raven cornered Slade against the robots body, but he still didn't give up on getting away with her.

"Give her back." Raven ordered. "She won't obey you now." Her words were almost as an alarm, telling terra to wake up, she opened her eyes weakly, but instantly her face turned into fear. Jack turned into the Hound, as quick as he had turned back to Jack, and jumped over Slade; he got out a lance, his old boo-staff with a sharp edge, and pointed it at its chest.

Terra didn't know what to fear most: having blood over her face and clothes and don't knowing why, the huge demonic dog over her, or if being naked on Slade's arms, but suddenly a stone column shot out of the ground and hit both, Slades back and the Hounds head. The three of them fell down; Terra still couldn't feel her legs and couldn't walk. The Hound and Slade stood up quickly, the dog charged over Slade and sent him flying over to the halls wall, he managed to assume his position and jumped on the wall to attack the Hound once again, this time Raven covered his armor on black psychic energy and crashed him again on the wall, that for everyone's surprise fell in pieces.

Raven ran to help Terra stand up, she was all nervous that Raven would be mad at her, that any of the Titans would be, although she couldn't blame them; for her surprise Raven held her shoulder and gave her a weak smile.

"I was starting to think you wouldn't get out of there." She said, Terra also smiled and hugged her as tight as she could, which wasn't at all tight, her arms also were weak.

Jack returned to his human shape, ran through the hole in the wall to look for Slade, stood out, looked at both sides and then up. He kicked the ground disappointed and went back inside.

"Hey rock head." He said referring to Terra. "He ran away, I guess. He must have learned not to meddle with me." Then he turned to Raven. "I'm out of here. Already had my fun, nothing left to do." He turned around and began walking, but.

"Wait" Raven ordered. "You are still at my service, remember?" Jack looked over his shoulder, gave them a stare and grinned. Raven grinned as well still helping Terra stand up. "You're taking us back to the hospital."

_Of course I'm leaving it here, one chapter to go for this fict, but that doesn't mean the story is over… _

_Have some consideration: If you liked it, good. If you didn't, oh well, but like it or not: please review!_

_Disclaimer: I don't know if Terra is being revived later in the series, all I do care is that I need her for my story. Apologies to any resentful Terra fan. I didn't want to mess around too much about the Titans worst fears, so I didn't go deeper on that subject either._


	7. Double Edge

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, but I do own Jack Shoreshooter. So don't you use that character, unless of course you talk to me first._

"Here we go." Jack said keeping an eye on Robin. He gently took the girls head between his hands and opened his mouth, as if he was about to bite something. A weird sound came out of his mouth, like the sound of the wind while soaring through the trees. Out of Starfire's mouth came a thick black smoke, which went directly to Jack's mouth is if it was being sucked up. Meanwhile everyone else waited for him to be done.

She was the last one to be healed from the Hound's poison, which Raven had commanded Jack to extract, against his will. "They are like a rechargeable battery." He had complained. "It's a shame to end their suffering."

Starfire's face turned to show agony when the last bit of smoke came out of her, then, she opened her eyes, screaming and shaking while crying desperately in her bed. Robin ran next to her and hugged her tightly; trying to calm her down, she hugged him as well, but kept in total panic for a while.

"It's okay." Robin said. " I'm here, calm down." She held him even tighter.

"She will be nervous for a couple of days." Jack told him from the door frame. "Her fears are the tastier I've eaten lately… therefore, her nightmare must have been dreadful. You better keep next to her, in case she can't tell what a dream is, or what's real. Bye." He walked out, two policemen waited for him to escort him to the hospital lobby. Two policemen that were trembling with fear escorted the man who had panicked the city.

In the second floor the second escort waited for them. Surely this one could do better, now they where awake. Cyborg and Beast Boy told the policemen to leave, then, holding each one of Jack's arms like grips they walked downstairs to the lobby. Jack didn't say anything on their way down; he now knew what they feared, he could make them suffer anytime, and that (although he knew that made him a coward), made him feel self-confident.

Sitting in the waiting room, Raven was telling Terra practically everything that had happened since she had been turned to stone. Terra still looked guilty, depressed, and now, worried about the others. Raven, however had already told her she didn't have to worry, that they where pleased to have her back; this didn't help at all.

"…And that's about it." She said finishing her tale. "If you want details you better ask Beast Boy, I'm no good as a storyteller."

"Thank you anyway." Said Terra sounding ashamed, and guilty. "I… Well I already told you that… I never meant to…"

"What it's done, it's done. We can't change that, the reasons you had to do what you did don't matter anymore. Try to do better next time." It was as if Raven had just judged Terra for homicide, she shrunk herself in the chair and fell silent. "Here they come."

Cyborg, Beast Boy and Jack came past them. Jack saw Raven with a "We'll settle this later" look that she ignored and then was dragged outside. A prison car was waiting for him, along with about three dozen policemen armed with shields and bazookas. Jack stood on the doorway and smiled, talked to Cyborg without getting his eyes off the car.

"Think about it." He said slightly. "Every "bad guy" you catch goes to prison, and some of them get to escape. But, I got to beat you guys, and it is quite obvious that I might escape if they try to contain me; so, why lock me up if I would get to escape anyway?"

Cyborg was trying his best to ignore him. "It's not my job to think about that." He said. "If you get to escape, we'll catch you."

"Oh okay, but how about if I never get caught?" he made a wreaked smile, then freed himself from both Titans expanding his Nightmare self. "Do you have a legal system in this planet?" he asked one of the policemen carrying a bazooka; the man agreed and Jack grinned. "Then your laws might say they are for all humans, isn't that true?" Cyborg was trapped by one of Jack's massive Nightmare hands, BB, shaped as a rhinoceros, was being contained by Jacks other arm. The policeman agreed again. "Oh all right!" Jack let go of the other two, which fell over him and threw him on the ground.

"Hands off!" he shouted wiping away everybody with his Nightmare self. As you might see I am no human, I am a Nightmare, a being that isn't governed by rules, even in my own world. And so, you can't send me to a trial, and you can't send me to jail… _ta, ta!_" he walked arrogantly back inside the hospital, Raven stood up quickly and prepared black energy on both hands. "I come in peace, really." He looked sincere so she calmed and sit down again.

"You better not fight in a while." She said bossily. "Not if I am watching you."

"_Are you trying to give me orders!_" The Hound said frustrated. "_Who do you_ _think_…"

"Well you did say you where at my orders didn't you?" The Hound, in Jacks body was growling with fury, yet Jack came back to control and nodded humbly.

"Yes ma'am I'm at your orders… as long as you need me of course…and… as long as you show me respect too…" he said this slowly, and reluctantly.

"I'll keep that in mind." Raven said with contempt, without looking at him, however she grinned lightly. Jack did too. Terra stood up and came near Jack, averting her gaze she spoke to him rather rudely.

"I can't forgive for what you did." She said. "Even if you were controlling yourself or not. I can't forgive you for tormenting them for fun…. But, I think maybe I…" she soften her tone and looked at him in a sharp, serious way, he looked back the same way. "I think I should thank you for rescuing me from Slade."

"You should thank Miss Raven then. I was fallowing orders." Terra giggled and looked back at Raven, which was controlling her anger.

"How's that _Miss_ Raven?" she mocked, Raven went more angry. Jack came near Terra and whispered in her ear.

"Actually I'm calling her that to piss her off. By the way: My pleasure to save you; _although it's not our stile_. But we still enjoyed it." They both giggled loudly and Raven's anger reached a critical level.

"Would you knock it off?" She shouted both of them shrunk on the spot.

Cyborg and BB came then showing lasers and claws and pointing at Jack, he responded drawing his sword and standing in position. Terra stepped aside and Raven stood up, still angry. She took Jack's sword and lowered it.

"No fighting Jack, not unless I tell you to." She ordered, Jack put his sword back on its sheath and stepped back. Cyborg and BB (returning to human form) stood surprised for a second and later exploded with skeptic laughter.

"How did you do it Raven?" said Cyborg still containing his laughter. "Gave him a dog treat or something?" They both fell laughing again. Jack looked at Raven in a "thank you but no thank you" way.

"I see you haven't told them yet…" he said reluctantly.

"I was going to keep it as our little secret." She said. "But you wouldn't think it would last long would you?"

"Hopefully…yes." He sighted. "Oh well… I guess I'll have to deal with them…" The laughter made itself louder, and more annoying for Jack, he turned around and started walking. "Robin said he wanted to talk to me. I'll go see what he wants." He pushed the elevator button and stepped in, then pressed the button for the ninth floor.

The elevator however stopped on the second floor and in, went Terra, panting.

"Come to see them too?" Jack asked as the elevator continued its way up.

"Actually…." She said still panting, she had to run upstairs to catch the elevator. "…I wanted…. To ask you…Why are you… What did…"

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, but everyone outside froze when they looked at Jack and the elevator kept going up.

"Take a breath." Jack suggested.

"All right… let me….okay. What's all that about you serving Raven? Do you owe her something?"

"A friend once told me" Jack explained as the elevator stopped once again on the sixth floor, where people didn't get up once again. "That a good mind it's hard to find, and that it is a precious thing. So, when I saw how Raven resisting my nightmare attack and experimented the power of her mind, I reckoned I had to do what I could to protect that mind. But perhaps I got this thing too far, I think she thinks I'm like her servant or something."

"Well, you told her you were at her service didn't you? Now you have to suffer the consequences." The people on the seventh and eight floors also stepped back in fear when the elevator arrived; Jack was more than pleased to get off on the ninth floor. "She told me Beast Boy got a problem like yours a while ago, she helped him out, but he didn't swear servitude for that. I think she's just glad someone wants to protect her for once."

"Perhaps, but you better tell me." He said to Terra while walking the corridor. "Is she demanding?"

"Don't know." Terra admitted. "I haven't seen them in a long time, you know?"

"Oh that's right. How did you turn to stone?" That was the wrong question, Terra's eyes filled in tears and she shrunk in shame. "Don't worry, tell me other day."

She wiped away her tears. By then, they had got to the room where Robin and Starfire were. Jack stepped inside cautiously Starfire was still sitting in her bed, with Robin by her side.

"And every time I tried to escape it would…AHH!" Starfire screamed loudly when she saw Jack, a couple of people in the corridors stared at him standing out of the room nervously.

"Okay, okay I got the point." He said ashamed and still going backwards. "I'm leaving, okay? Talk to you later Rob." He went outside and leaned against the wall, sighted.

"I'll take care." Terra said going into the room. "You just don't know how to talk to a girl."

A conversation was heard inside. Terra asking the others to forgive her for what she had done and them, pleased to see her, forgive her right away. After some minutes Terra and Starfire where chatting and Robin took his chance to go outside. "Follow me." He told Jack, still leaning against the wall. "We'll talk."

But Starfire came out of the room, her hands full of energy and shot Jack in the chest, he fell backwards and knocked some nurses that were going their way. "Don't you touch Robin you dirty wolf! I won't let you…"

"I'm okay Star, don't worry, I will come back soon." He grabbed her shoulder and drove her back to her bed, while Jack stood up, still stunned by the beam.

"I'm sure not that invulnerable as a human, aren't I?" He followed Robin through the corridor and through the staircase, people looked at them and mumbled each time they passed by.

They went a pair of roofs higher and Robin opened the door to the eleventh floor rooftop. Both walked outside silently and went near one of the edges of the roof. They stood there a couple of minutes, motionless, speechless, watching the cars on the freeway pass by. Then, without warning, Robin gave Jack a dynamic uppercut that sent him flying several feet away. He stood up, not looking angry, in fact, he seemed pleased.

"I won't ask you why you did it." Robin told him coolly.

"Really? It would be an interesting tale to hear I guess, but, if you don't want to… Then what do you want?"

"I want to know why you didn't kill us." He seemed serious, and although Jack was surprised he would ask that, he took his time to answer.

"Starfire knows." He said. "Tamareans don't fear death as much as they fear pain. I needed you to suffer, because your pain, no, your fear, your nightmares make us stronger. We feed from them."

"You didn't do it for that. I know it. But I still can't understand it. If you wanted us out of the way why didn't you just kill us!" He was starting to get desperate again. They looked at each other fiercely. And got closer, as duelists on a death match.

"You know why I hate superheroes?" Robin didn't answer. "You are bi-dimensional; things are black or white, someone it's a villain or a victim; and if you're not with them you're against them." They were now just in front of each other, being pulled apart just to avoid a fight. "Well, let me tell you, some of us didn't ask o be treated like monsters, some of us just wanted an opportunity to prove ourselves we could take control, over ourselves, over our demons."

Robin looked surprised, he lowered his fists and stepped back, Jack did as well. He looked at Robin for a second and pointed a large banquet over a statue. "Let's calm down a bit."

"I know you can't control it sometimes, but Raven told us you..." Robin and Jack were both sitting in the banquet, looking at the statue in front of them as if it was the only thing to do.

"Look… I'll try to explain but… He is annoying, fierce, unstoppable when he wants to." Jack said slowly. "But as I hate to admit it or not, he's a part of me, an important one." Robin turned to look Jack, quite puzzled.

"But can't you let it go? Vanish it somehow?" He asked, knowing the answer and still wanting to avoid thinking of it. Jack looked at the sky nostalgically.

"Even if I could, I wouldn't. All Nightmares are born being one creature, able to transform from their human, to Nightmare self's in a second. But I, my father actually, sealed my Nightmare in a part of my mind, and so, the Hound was born. It's no easy to have another person in your mind you know; he represents my ambition, my fury, my hate, but also, my pride and honor. He's not that bad, but, I ignored him since I got to earth, and that got him mad. Remember at the beach, the day I arrived? That was him, and still, I ignored its warning."

"I see, it's a shame you can't do nothing. I think we all have something like that in our heads, don't we? Something that it's a part of us, like it or not. Raven sure knows about that, according to Cyborg she has many personalities." Robin said trying to scribble a smile. " Can I tell you something without him knowing?"

"He's asleep, go on."

"I can't forgive him for what he did to Starfire… to any of the others; and if you took part in it I can't forgive you as well." He said going serious again. "Even if you did help us out once, that doesn't mean you won't attack us again."

"Don't worry. You can't trust somebody unless he has proved he won't betray you; that's a mercenary rule. I took part later in that battle; he was the one who poisoned her. I'm sorry for that. I didn't want to injure her that bad." Jack lowered his head.

"She heals quickly, will be okay." Robin tried to sound comforting, at least to himself, trying to see the good side of it. "But why did you, or him, attack us in fist place?"

"He was mad, and saw the city as his playground. I wanted to prove I could control myself, and him, so I remembered what a friend told me. Don't try so hard to do it your way, follow the road and take your own turns."

"So it was _you_ the one who saved me?" In the last fight they have had, Robin had stood between the Hound's fangs, only saved by his boo-staff. However, when the stick was about to break the Hound didn't crush him, but sent him flying over a building.

"You call that saving? Well I'm glad you didn't save me!" Jack laughed, Robin just smiled weakly. "Want to know why we did it? We needed a challenge; to prove ourselves we didn't need your mercy we decided to prove we could beat you. I'm sorry now, it was fun, but maybe you're right, maybe I should have asked for help before doing it myself. And… I guess I'm also sorry for the poisoning."

"Tell you something." Said Robin, now looking at the sky too. "Next time you won't beat us, not me. You showed me my worst fear, exposed me to it so I couldn't escape. And I won't lie to you, first, I was so afraid I started to make stupid mistakes, I started to lose hope."

"And when all hope was gone you realized you could do it." Jack said proudly.

"How did you know?" Robin asked with sarcasm.

"Always happens, and to tell you the truth; when I eat the nightmares, I see them too. I saw how you managed it, you are like Raven, but your mind isn't your hot spot." Robin saw him surprised and quite uncomfortable with the commentary. "It's your heart, you were just being brave, and that's admirable too."

"What abut Raven?"

"My mistake with her was to enter her mind. When I exposed her fears she battled against them, against me. Not many people dare to do that, especially not in the way she did. Although she remained scared she knew she could remain calm and focus on the battle. Her mind it's what I want to protect, you should do it too."

"I will, and I'll make sure you do it too; if not, you'll pay it." Robin said, in a slightly threatening tone.

"Make sure of that." Jack said. Robin stood up and made his way to the staircase.

"Don't think you will have that much luck next time." He told Jack in a daring way. "Not now we know what you can do. There will be no nightmares next time Jack, you better be prepared."

"I want to see that," Jack mocked still sitting on the banquet. "We will see if you can affront your fears… if not, I won't take out the venom, not in a long time…" Robin went downstairs and Jack fell silent looking at the sky. The next time… when would it be?

Jack stepped outside the hospital, still feeling stunned after a second attack from Starfire when he had passed next to her room. Gave a pair of steps on the street and then, froze, in front of a dozen of policemen ready to fire their bazookas again. Jack grabbed his sword, was ready to jump. The policemen where too scared to move. Both of them, stood like statues waiting for the other to make his move. Stanley Peterson, a new member of the squad, was having serious trouble standing still. Not knowing what to expect, not knowing what to think, he pulled the trigger on his hand, and the rocket shoot itself at Jack. As if it was a signal to panic, all the other policemen lost their minds as well, and soon, a flock of loud missiles flew his way. And as soon as it had started, it stopped, with an explosion against a black force-field, and Raven's opportune entrance.

Most of the policemen reloaded and aimed at Jack again, others remained still and waited. Raven examined the situation quickly, looked at Jack, returning his sword to its sheath, and the policemen reloading. She stood between both.

"He's under my orders. He won't attack anyone even if he wants to. Right?" Jack growled madly and nodded. The policemen, still not convinced, lowered their weapons. The chief stepped forward and faced Raven keenly.

"Fine." He said irritated. "But he's under your responsibility! So… put him a chain or something!" Then he turned around and went back to his car, mumbling. "_These heroes… they think they can do what they want… But I will show them how a _real_ authority takes care of things… Yes they will see…"_

Raven turned to face Jack, although he didn't like the idea of being seen as Raven's lap dog, he had to admit she had saved him from mayor trouble.

"Are you leaving?" She asked.

"I guess I can't stay."

"Nobody lasts here, Terra is leaving too. Says she has to clear her mind before returning to the team. I think it's the best thing to do." She sounded indifferent.

"Do you think she…?" Jack looked at Terra through the glass hospital doors. She was sitting on a chair already changed to travel clothes and waiting for BB to come from the hospital kitchen with some food.

"I don't think she minds. But, if I get, even the feeling you have done something to her… You are the one who will be having nightmares." She gave him a sharp look. Jack said nothing more and walked inside.

"So, you're going?"

"Duh… How about you? Back to your planet?"

"I wont comeback in a while, in fact I cant, but, well, I was thinking that, since were both leaving the city, and you know this world better than I do… We could go together." Before Terra could answer, a sound of footsteps running down the corridor couth their attention. It was BB, rushing by everybody and placing himself between Jack and Terra, as though as a shield. Looking both, concerned and angry he faced Jack fiercely.

"There's no way you're taking her!" he shouted. "Stand back Terra!"

"Hey, uh…. I am going anyway, he's not taking me anywhere" said Terra trying to get out from behind BB.

"What? You scared this hound will eat your girlfriend? Don't worry, she is in good claws… I mean hands." Jack laughed. BB turned red, from anger and shame, however, before there could be another fight Terra intervened.

"Okay, here's how it goes." She turned to BB: "I am going anyway, and that doesn't mean I don't want to go back or that I am going with this guy because I like him." Then turned to Jack: "I will company you, but, under my conditions…"

That afternoon a sight was seen all around the city, a sight some people preferred to forget. A huge, demoniatic black hound ran down all the streets in the city with a frenetic blond girl hanging from its back, heading east, and going off road a pair of miles later not to be seen in some time.

Of course I'm not leaving it there! But this is the end of Nightmares and Swordsmen. To know what happened next check the sequels, next to be published as they are ready.

Keep readying please!

Igom


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